The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. what’s the desires of your heart? what do you really want? What do you count important? Where is your treasure today? What do you value and where would I find it in your life?

The bible says that wherever our treasure is, then, there you will find your heart also. That means that whatever we value will attract our heart. Whatever we find important we will give our input to.

We can see that quite clearly in those who value money above all else. All their efforts are put into getting more. We often say ‘C’mon, put your heart into it!’ when we want someone to put in more effort or give a task it’s proper value. We will always give our time and effort to the thing we most value. We are almost preprogrammed to prioritise what WE consider important. The problems arise when our priority list does not match God’s. He is desperate to give us the desires of our heart but the issue is that all too often our desires are not good or healthy or in our best interests and He doesn’t want to give us things that are not good for us. If we can change our ‘treasure’ then we will change the location of our heart. The ‘treasure’ has too strong a pull for us to try and change the heart and hope the ‘treasure’ follows! The heart will always be where the ‘treasure’ is.

When we find out what is important to God and we make that important to us then our heart will begin to move in that direction, then He can begin to release the desires of our heart! Our desires will change to align with His desires. People will often be heard to say things like “You will always be in my heart” or “I will keep that next to my heart”, so we understand the concept of heart and treasure, we just don’t always apply it to the the right things.

We should all be encouraged to regularly assess our treasure, to check our priorities, to consider what we are giving importance to in our life. Changing circumsatances, the different stages in life and meeting different people are some examples of how our treasure can be affected. Wherever we move our ‘treasure’ to we can be sure our heart will soon follow! People might say “Oh, he has had a change of heart” but the reality is he has changed where his ‘treasure’ is and his heart followed. That’s why God doesn’t ask you to change your heart about something. He knows that if we change what we value our heart will automatically change!

Maybe today is a day for you to re-assess your ‘treasure’?

Was reading in Nehemiah (12 & 13) about how the city of Jerusalem was reinstated and then after an absence of some time Nehemiah returned to find total disorder. All the things that had been set in place for Godly order had been ignored and replaced with man’s order. The rooms given over to the storing of the tithes and the first fruits were being used by another. The priests and the singers of the temple were not being looked after, and had to go back to work in the fields. Tithes were no longer coming into God’s storehouse and the sacred articles of the temple had been removed.

Nehemiah immediately took action and threw all of the replacement stuff out in the street and reinstated the order. His question, ‘Why has the temple of the Lord been so neglected?’ rings down through time. We can so mirror the picture that we see in his writings. When we say yes to Jesus we become the temple of the Lord. We are purified and sanctified for the purposes of God. His plan for us with all it’s potential is about to unfold in all it’s glory. Then, so often we start to replace God’s order. We begin to bring our own junk back into that place that was designated holy. We fill ‘our temple’ with stuff that was never intended for that space. In Jerusalem it was like ‘when the cat’s away the mice will play’. When the people were left unsupervised they did what they wanted. God has given us the Holy Spirit as our overseer, He is our measuring rod of holiness. If our relationship with God becomes too distant we be begin to ignore the promptings of the Spirit and our temple becomes infected. It is the depth of and closeness of our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit that keeps us ‘clean’.

That which has been set aside for the purpose of God should not be allowed to be used to fulfil the desires of man. Being ‘holy’ does not mean we are arrogant and adopt a ‘holier than thou’ attitude, but it is about understanding the boundaries that God in His wisdom has set for those who love Him. For me, it’s all about housekeeping – the longer we leave the tidying up for, the bigger the mess!! We need to determine to keep a short account and have a clear out regularly.

Agree with me today that we will make the best effort to keep a tidy house and a keen sense of hearing!

I love the verses in John ch 4 where Jesus talks about the field being White and ready for harvest.
He tells his disciples to wake up and LOOK all around. The harvest is ready! What do we see when we look out on our towns and cities? Do we see the barrenness of a society falling more and more into moral decay or are we awake in the Spirit and see a wonderful, bounteous harvest just waiting to be gathered in? The sad truth is most of us will see the dry and dusty land that seemingly is unable to bear any fruit. The problem is we are looking in the natural. Wake up! The harvest is all around – it is ready for being gathered in! See with your spiritual eyes the need of a people desperate for answers and realise that you carry the answer within you.

Jesus goes on to say that some will harvest that which they didn’t plant. So even if you think that it is an impossible task to see this person or that person come to say ‘yes’ to Jesus, think on this, someone else may have ‘planted in their field’ and you are the one that gets to bring in that harvest. Don’t focus on the difficulties, focus on the harvest. Harvests spoil while people debate the best way to bring it in or worry about having enough labourers, just start to get on with it. He is the Lord of the harvest and He will provide the labourers. Let’s stop procrastinating and begin to prepare for the barns to be full and the vats to overflow!

We are in a time when we can plant and harvest in the same season. Time is short my friends. The devil is busy trying to spoil the harvest but we have the potential in Jesus to bring in harvest the likes of which has never been seen before!

Pull out that rusty old sickle, get it sharpened and get to work! The lord of the harvest is calling you. There are people just waiting to hear from you!

There were once two shoe salesmen sent out to Africa to see if there was a market for shoes. One reported back that it was a pointless exercise as no one out there wore shoes. The other reported back that this could be the biggest thing ever for the shoe company because so far no one out there wore shoes! It’s all about perspective! What do you see? Potential or problem?

Wake up and look, the fields are already White unto harvest!!!

It never ceases to amaze me how God steps into our plans, expands them and multiplies them. He is truly the God of enlargement! Even when we are working within the will of God we never quite seem to get enough courage to think BIG. It’s almost as if we are scared we get it wrong and look foolish! But God uses the foolish to confound the wise. Sometimes being a fool for God is the very thing He needs in order to show His hand. When we become totally abandoned to the purpose of God in our lives then we don’t consider the consequences we only focus on the journey! Fear of failure will always outweigh the risk of success if we stay in ‘sensible’ mode.

God’s ways are not our ways and surprisingly enough His thoughts are not our thoughts! I suppose that’s the advantage of knowing the beginning from the end kicking in. Sometimes we just need to put Proverbs 3:5 into practice – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; (NKJV)

Some people say ‘Jesus has got ma back’ in a kinda hip way but the truth is that He has ‘got ma front’ as well – and just as well coz I don’t know what lies in front of me, but He does. I’m always gonna be more concerned with what lies ahead than what lies behind me. I can’t change my past but I can still affect my future! Trusting in Him is not only wise, it’s the only sensible choice. Even when we know we are in the centre of His will, there will be times that the only thing that will get us to the next stage on the journey is trusting Him. When everything round about screams FAILURE!! we know that we can count on Him to bring success and victory. ‘if He is for us then who can stand against us?’ It is never God’s plan to make a fool out of us but often seeming foolishness becomes the very thing that causes a jaw drop in people when it all outworks itself in God. Having the courage of our convictions is more than words. When we say such a phrase there will be times that our conviction will be called into question. If it’s only words then who you gonna rely on at that time. But if your conviction is in God then it becomes His shout and we can relax in the knowledge that He is for us and so success is a foregone conclusion, we follow faithfully, fully trusting in Him and soon the smell of victory will fill our nostrils. Awesome, thank you Jesus! I love being on the winning side!

You see, saint, fear of failure is like a prison cell. It holds you down and holds you back from the bigness of God and His plan for your life. The bible says that ‘perfect love casts out fear’. Jesus’ death and resurrection is our ‘get out of jail free’ card and we need to play it! We are not supposed to give into fear but through Jesus overcome it.

The solution to your problem, the answer to your dilemma, the release from your bondage is just on the other side of that wall called fear!

As Pink Floyd said – TEAR DOWN THE WALL!!

Have a really destructive day!!

How’s your day been? Mine has been great! I love Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and……. Every day has potential in it. From the moment we wake we step into the days potential. So often we miss the first half before we even consider what the day might bring. Wouldn’t it be great to wake up prepared. To get out of bed with anticipation on our mind rather than the all too familiar dread. Get excited, today might be the day! The day for what? you ask, the day for anything. When God is at the centre of your day anything can happen. Be expectant, today might be the day! The events of today might just be the answer you’ve been waiting for. It might just be the opportunity that has thus far eluded you. It might just be the day that you will remember for a long time to come. It might just be the day that you finally conquer that problem you’ve been facing. It might just be the day that you overcome that fear that has held you back. It might just be the day that brings that special someone into your life. It might just be the day that takes you on a new career path. It might just be the day that………

Every day brings incredible opportunity. How many did we miss today? Anticipate the unexpected. Dream for the impossible. Believe for incredible encounters. Prepare to be used of God. Get ready to receive from God. Be willing to listen for God.

Don’t be sporadic in your response to God – remember we are trying to build momentum! We need to keep moving forward. We need to build momentum every day. Don’t slow down, don’t get sidetracked, don’t be put off by the enemy’s plans. Press on! Breakthrough to victory. Tuesdays are great days for breakthrough. So is every other day but today is Tuesday so deal with today and tomorrow will come soon enough. Don’t miss the momentum of the day by thinking about a better tomorrow! Be encouraged saints – God is with you and He is for you!

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Every so often a buzz word or phrase comes to the fore and people latch on to it. You know like when the WWJD stuff was really popular or a couple of years ago it was all about the ‘prayer of Jabez’. The thing I’ve seen a lot of recently is the slogan ‘Hate Religion, Love Jesus’. I kinda like that coz it separates truth from opinion. So much is said and done in the name of religion that no more reflects the character of Jesus than fly in the air! I’ve had people say to me, when they find out I’m a pastor, ‘Oh, I don’t really like religion’, they seem surprised when I say ‘Neither do I’. It sort of takes them by surprise. But the truth is that I don’t. I love Jesus and all He stands for but that is not the same thing as religion. It’s amazing how many Christians get filled with a religious spirit rather than the Holy Spirit! You know the type – all sanctimonious and pious, theology junkies, holier than thou attitude. Spouting scripture but not living it. Jesus died to release us from religion and re- establish relationship. Our relationship with God doesn’t come through religion it comes through the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is to be filled with God not religion! Power to not sin does not come through religion but through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. The argument rages on from generation to generation about whether or not there is such a thing as the baptism of the Holy Spirit or not. I’ve been a Christian for over 35 years. I’ve been Pentecostal in my doctrine for the last 15 years. I have experience on both sides of the argument. For me there is no argument any more – being filled with the Holy Spirit has given me the power for living a more victorious life for Jesus than I ever could before. Fact. The gifts of the Spirit are the tools of the trade. Fact. The Pentecostal church is the fastest growing stream of Christianity across the world. Fact. There is more scripture to back up the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit than there is to undermine or deny it. Fact.
Lol, I think it’s time some people got their facts right!

The enemy loves to cause confusion and division, always has, always will. When the early church was formed, it was built on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, it is man that has changed that not God! I don’t even bother to get involved in discussions about the whole doctrine thing anymore, I just live according to the revelation I have and that’s all I can do. So yeah, I hate religion, but love Jesus. That’s all.

Patience has been one of my strongest traits! I try to be patient and probably as I get older (and wiser) I am learning that patience is so often a saviour to my circumstances, but I still struggle with it. I have learned that often impatience is the enemy of faith. It undermines our ability to trust God in a situation and the longer we have to wait for something to happen or wait for an answer to a particular problem the more our faith can dwindle.

We have this preconceived idea that when we call out to God that He will answer immediately, like right now God! I was just reading in the book of Daniel chapter 10, how Daniel had been asking God for an interpretation of a vision. As soon as he started praying the answer was dispatched from heaven but was delayed in a spiritual battle for 21 days along the way. I think if that had been me I would’ve thought that no answer was coming and move on to something else! It got me thinking though, does that mean that sometimes when we ask for something that the enemy interferes and delays the answer. Maybe circumstances change and we think that the answer is not coming when in fact it is just delayed. We are so conditioned nowadays to expect everything in a flash. We live in a ‘now’ society. Everything must be faster than before! Our lifestyle does not engender patience. We strive for faster broadband, faster methods of transport, faster food, faster promotion at work, faster divorces and so the list goes on. I still remember the days when you had to write to someone and wait several days for their response, you relied on the quality of service of the royal mail. Now with email and txting we have managed to knock a few days off that process in lots of cases. And yet in all of that the bible would encourage us to develop patience!

How many rash decisions I have made in my life simply because I didn’t wait long enough for an answer or for more information or for circumstances to be more favourable! Often my impatience is reflected in the situation I then end up in! Then I think…..’wish I had waited’. I think we should see patience as a way to develop faith not undermine it. I think if we can turn around our thinking, that we will be more successful more often in more circumstances than ever before. We often see the time between request and response as a waste of time, maybe we need to see it more as a period of grace. A time to reflect and prepare for the answer. A time to exercise patience and know that when the answer comes it is still God’s perfect timing! It’s always worth the wait!

Have a great day.

I love the story of David and his rise to becoming king. There are so many parallels to many situations we can find ourselves in through life. If we dropped into the story in 1 Sam ch 22 we read of how David is in the cave of Adullam. He is defeated, dejected, depressed and deflated! Even though he already knows he is to be king and God’s anointed one he still finds himself in that place of despair. It’s really interesting to see that as he languishes there he still attracts people to him. He draws a crowd of around 400 to that place, but guess what? they are not men who would encourage you out of your situation, no, they were men who were in trouble, in debt and discontented! Soon they were having a pity party. David was destined for greater things and God was not about to abandon him there in that depressing cave. Through the prophet God told him to get back to Judah. After a few events God said specifically to go to Hebron. From Hebron, David was made king over Judah, then king over Israel.
He moved to where God wanted him to be in order to receive Gods blessing and favour. David could’ve stayed in Adullam but he would’ve missed what God had for him. His God shaped destiny would not have been fulfilled! Hebron people don’t live in Adullam! Now I’m not saying we need to chase all over the place looking for the pouring out of God’s favour, no, we need to ask Him where He wants us to be and GO there! Even if it means a few battles on the way, it will be worth it. He is already there, ready and able to show us His favour. When you said ‘yes’ to Jesus, He transformed you from a cave dweller to the son or daughter of the King!
Saint, don’t settle for less than He has promised. Don’t allow the enemy to rob you of any more blessing. Get out you’re cave! Get to Hebron, there is tremendous favour waiting there for you and me. God cannot fulfil His plan for you while you are hiding in the cave.

Have a fantastic day.

When was the last time I felt like I could disturb a city? When was the last time that my beliefs were so strong that ‘they caused trouble all over the world’? Probably the next time will be the first time!! What was it about Paul that was different? I mean, there must have been other people before him that came peddling their beliefs, yet it was him who caused a riot. I think a couple of things were different.
1. He was speaking truth – a truth that pierced their soul. You know how when sometimes someone tells a home truth to us, it doesn’t always get a favourable reaction, even tho it’s the truth! Well kinda like that but multiplied. He was striking at the very root of their religious spirit. The truth of God carries with it the weightiness of God and it can’t be ignored. It provokes a reaction, good or bad! When we speak truth into a situation it causes people to make a decision, they can respond positively or negatively, but respond they must! The Jews felt threatened, their whole way of thinking and living was being turned upside down. It’s no different today. When we bring the truth of the gospel into someone’s life it challenges everything. Their life is about to get turned upside down. Some will be ready for that and respond in a good way, but some ain’t!!
2. The other thing that stood out about Paul was that he was living it. He was not being hypocritical by saying one thing and doing another. He actually believed enough in what he was preaching to live it! The world is fed up hearing from Christians, they want action. They want to see our words reflected in our lives. When they don’t see that then they automatically feel that our words are condemning them, and rightly so! People are more impressed with what comes out of our lives than what comes out of our mouths!

It was the same with Jesus – they could find no fault in Him so trumped up charges had to be brought so they could justify their anger. He had turned their world upside down and inside out. Why? Because He lived what He spoke!

Maybe if we spoke less and and lived it more we too could cause the odd riot! Even a mild disturbance would be an achievement these days! I dunno about you but I’m kinda thinking that this is the year! This is a good time to start living the words. This is a good time to start to live the WORD. 2012 for OCC is all about seeing an incredible harvest. That will not be achieved just by preaching to or at people but by being living examples of the Word. By being given over to the call of God and to walk in it. Let’s cause a disturbance in our city! Who knows if enough of us get on board we may even cause a riot!!

Was thinking about this wee verse in John 14 vs 27
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (NLT)

What is the peace that Jesus talks about? Why did He say that? Why is it is important? What’s different about His peace?

Well, not sure if I know all the answers but there are a couple of things I’ve come to realise about the peace of Jesus. For me, the most important thing is that this peace saves me from myself! What I mean is, it saves me from my own emotions. Now, let me also say that God in His wisdom, when He created you and me, wired us with a full set of emotions. These emotions are supposed to work for our good, but it’s one of the main target areas of Satan. He knows how to work our emotions! Come on, you know that’s true. Not every emotionally outburst is Godly! Not every emotional meltdown is beneficial! So when Satan got access to our emotions was God’s answer to just remove them from us? No, He built in a safeguard. His peace! You see our emotions are also meant to be a good thing. It’s through our emotions we worship God. Our emotions are a powerful tool in the right hands. When left to my own devices my emotions can create havoc in my life. When I become ‘emotional’ I can also become irrational! When I am in a high state of emotion I don’t always hear the things that are said or at least, in the correct context. Have you ever reacted to something someone says and then later regretted it because you misunderstood what had been said? How embarrassing is that? Emotions can put our brain in neutral and our mouth in overdrive!!if we allow negative emotions to drive us, we can make rash decisions that can have long term consequences. The peace of Jesus overcomes all of that, not in retrospect but as we allow ourselves to live under that peace we become less reactionary and less spontaneous in our outbursts. The peace of Jesus does not mimic the temporal peace that worldly things can offer but it is the genuine thing! It actually ‘stills our heart’ to allow a balance to be brought in. It provides a safe buffer zone that allows us to gauge our reaction, before we ‘go off on one’! When we learn to accept the peace of Jesus we become more calm, more balanced and more dependable. More importantly when we apply this peace we reflect more of the character of Jesus himself and that’s what we are called to do. Additionally, when peace reigns in our hearts it overrules fear. Fear is a very powerful emotion and can be the cause of many an ugly situation. Fear can drive you to the point of despair, despair makes desperate choices! Let peace be your boss!
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 NLT)

Every day brings with it the potential to be an emotional roller coaster ride to disaster OR the potential to be a place of peace and rest. You see you can still be busy but be at rest with yourself. You may have problems to deal with, but you can still experience peace. How can this be? Well it comes from God so that means we don’t need to understand it, just enjoy it
Nuff said?